INDIANAPOLIS — Three weeks after Brett Welychka’s decision to head to Denmark to play for the Esbjerg Energy, Indy Fuel defenseman Travis Brown decided to follow his teammate overseas.
Brown joined the Fuel in a trade that sent former Fuel forward Quentin Shore to the Wichita Thunder for his ECHL rights. At the time, the 25-year-old defenseman was under contract with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate of the Thunder.
The Winnipeg native appeared in just one game with the Rampage in the 2018-19 season, while spending the majority of his time in the ECHL with the Thunder. Brown then appeared in 29 games with the Wichita club, tallying ten goals and 19 points in that span.
A power-play specialist, Brown joined the Fuel defensive corps in the latter half of the season, recording 13 points in 17 games. Out of his 32 total points in the season, 18 of them came on the power-play, including nine goals.
Many questioned the trade that sent Shore to the Thunder and brought Brown to Indy, as Shore was a quality point-producer for Indy, racking up close to a point-per-game, but was unable to appear in many games due to injury.
Although Brown only appeared in a short stint with Indy, he was able to silence doubters as he made his presence know with the Fuel. His offensive prowess was crucial and something the Fuel have lacked since the days of Mathieu Brisebois.
Not only was he effective on the attack, but his defense was solid as well, finishing his time with the Fuel with a +1 rating. Brown also had an edge to his game that sparked the team in key moments, especially with enforcer Anthony Collins out at the end of the year due to suspension. He was the league’s top defenseman on the man advantage and scored many key goals, including Indy’s only two goals in a 2-1 win at the end of the season against the Kalamazoo Wings, a division rival.